Drone Coding in Education

written by

Benjamin Lannen

Coding in education is increasing in popularity as is the requirement to teach 21st century skills, computational thinking and digital understanding. A resource and device that has proven to both effective and engaging is a set of Parrot drones. The inspiration for using drones in the classroom came from a conversation I was lucky to have with #aussieED founder, Brett Salakas in 2016. Brett presented at the 2016 TeachTechPlay Conference and demonstrated how drones can be integrated into a classroom learning environment. Now with the Digital Curriculum, teachers have specific content descriptors that can be taught and learnt with coding, in particular with drones.

A Parrot drone has the ‘wow’ factor of all coding devices. The look on student’s faces when they lift a drone off the ground and see it hover is amazing. Students are able to connect their Parrot drone via bluetooth to a mobile device, in particular with the Tickle App. The Parrot drones can fly at a speed of up to 18km/h in any direction, flip 360 degrees, and take photos. Like other coding devices, Parrot drones allow students to drag and drop code to instruct the drone to complete both simple and complex actions.

Here are some of the most effective lessons I have designed with drones in:

Harry Potter Quidditch Angle Challenge

Tickle App

Have 3 Hoola Hoops held up by fellow students at different angles to where the drone is positioned

Using the Tickle app have students code using correct angles to direct drones through the Hoola Hoops for point.Skills developed:

Drone Olympics (High Jump)

Tickle App

Set up a High Jump bar (meter ruler held by students)

Have students compete and estimating the height of high jump bar

Students to code the drone to ‘jump’ over it at correct height.

To challenge and extend students, have a 2nd bar to be slightly higher than the ‘high jump’ bar to create a ‘perfection’ zone for the drone to pass through. This smaller area narrows down the accuracy of the student’s estimation of height.Skills developed:

Drag and Drop coding

Estimation, Decimals, Measurement, Time, Distance, Speed, Direction

Drone Photography

Tickle App

Students to code drones to take photos for a purposeSkills students develop:

Drone Lego Race

Tickle App

Pick certain tables or spots in the room call ‘drop zones’, these could be tables, benches, bag tops, marks on floor etc.

Students are to transport Lego men and women (Parrot drones have a lego compatibility top) to a certain location in your classroom, unlink the lego people, transport the drone back to home base, pick up next lego person and repeat. Student or student team who transports all of their Lego people first, or most at the end of a time limit, wins. Skills students develop: